Electrical energy consumption and the financial cost associated therewith are of growing concern to many people, businesses, and in deed, countries as a whole. Wasted electrical energy not only costs the user more money than is necessary but also uses up valuable natural resources for energy generation or requires more renewable energy installations than is necessary.
Most buildings or installations using electricity have simple electricity meters to measure the amount of electricity consumed in order to calculate the cost of the electricity to be charged to the consumer. These meters can be monitored for the amount of energy used, and the periodic consumption figures tracked so that present electricity consumption can be compared to past electricity consumption. Such graphs are usually shown on electricity bills from the electricity provider, but do not aid in real time measurement of electricity consumption or what equipment or where in a building consumption may be excessive. Excessive consumption might be an indicator of failing electrical equipment or need to upgrade old equipment, or a need to balance consumption.
Energy audits can be carried out on a building or installation. Such audits are largely theoretical in nature, are complex and the volume of data to be assessed makes it difficult to disseminate. Persons conducting an energy audit can be disruptive to normal operations and personal within the building or at the installation. Fixed core current transformers (CTs) can be used to proportionally measure the amount of electricity being consumed. However, these are relatively large and expensive fixed installations, and an authorised electrical contractor is needed to access the associated electrical switchboards.
With the aforementioned problems in mind, it has been realised that it is desirable to provide a means and/or method for improved monitoring and reporting of electrical energy consumption.